In/out of commission Definition 1 of 3Pro Tip 1/3Temporary State Indicates a temporary situation where repair is expected to make the item work again. My laptop is out of commission, but it should be fixed tomorrow. Pro Tip 2/3Informal Conversations Commonly used in casual speech rather than formal writing or discussions. Sorry, my phone's out of commission right now. Pro Tip 3/3Hint of Frustration Can express annoyance or inconvenience caused by the item being unusable. I can't blend anything because the blender is out of commission again.